Australia’s Katya Crema comes 7th in women’s ski cross in Sochi

SHE wasn’t quite the cat who got the cream, but Katya Crema was still licking her lips in satisfaction after finishing seventh in the ladies’ ski cross.

SHE wasn’t quite the cat who got the cream, but Katya Crema was still licking her lips in satisfaction after finishing seventh in the ladies’ ski cross at the Sochi Winter Olympics.

“My goal here was top eight so I am absolutely rapt,” the 25-year-old Melburnian said.

“This is my best result of the season seventh, and it’s also my second best result ever. I laid one down so I am happy.”

The Rosa Khutor Extreme Park ski and snowboard cross course has not been kind to Australia. It’s here that our flagbearer Alex “Chumpy” Pullin fell short of expectations.

Others just fell. Before today, six of our seven ski and snowboard cross competitors had wound up with a face full of Sochi slush.

That’s again how things started today with Sami Kennedy-Sim. The Sydney skier had recovered from a stroke to make the Sochi team, but tumbled after not quite surviving a thrilling side-by-side duel.

“You’re going to get close to each other that’s the nature of things, you bump hips, you bump shoulders, that’s fine,” Kennedy-Sim said.

“My training age is pretty young, so I’m looking forward to continuing. In Korea I’ll be 29 and that’s not too old in our sport.”

Then Australia’s luck turned. First Jenny Owens, then Crema, made it through to the next round.

Crema in particular was dazzling in using inside lines to pass other skiers, and spectacularly stayed on her feet after a couple of super close calls.

“That’s my agility training right there,” she said.

Owens bowed out in the quarters, the 35-year-old drawing her long Olympic career to a close.

“End of skiing career, yep, she confirmed. “I’m just going to finish some sports studies, hopefully hang out at the AIS a bit and work with a few sports and do a few different things and just learn.”

But Crema was still alive. In her semi final, she fought hard to come from the tail to be running third and in sight of a top two qualifying spot.

That’s when another skier almost hit her and she had to swerve, losing valuable time.

In that instant, Australia’s last mountaintop medal hope was gone, with only the faintest chance of a miracle ahead in the short track speed skating.

Canadians took gold and silver, with Sweden snaring bronze.